Foldable slicing board



May 23, 1939. J. M. w|\ soN u ,2,159,945

FOLDABLE sLIcING BOARD Filedsept. 15, 1937 ATTORNEY.

Patented May 23, 1939 UNITED STATE FOLDABLE SLICING BOARD Jessie M. Wilson, Philadelphia, Pa.`

Application September i 1 Claim.

This inventioni'concernsva slicing board, and, more particularly, a foldable slicingboard.

Slicing boards are generally utensils assigned to the kitchen. On occasion, however, slicing 5 boards, e. g. executed in a small size, are also placed in front .of an individual at the table,

where they also serve as a plate, e. g. for spreading a slice of bread, cutting meats, cheese etc.

Realizing the usefulness of a small slicing board in the latter connection, the inventor herein desires to enlarge the scope of this usefulness. More lparticularly she has the object of reducing the slicing board to a form, in which it might find a permanent place outside of the kitchen, e. g. in a l5 drawing room, library, travelling bag etc., so that it is readily available fora light meal or lunch,

particularly when only a limited number of persons participate in a meal. On the other hand it is also highly desirable to provide for a tray for individual service, which may be used in transit,

on week end trips and outings, fory private refreshments between studies or at other recess periods. i

For such purpose the instant invention provides a foldable slicing board, which is comparatively light though durable in construction, folds together like a book, and may be readily kept on a table, in a bookshelf, in a drawer, etc., the surface used during eating being at the same time protected against contamination or soiling, when the implement is not in use.

Aside from the object of providing a slicing board, which may be folded together, and which may be carried along, e. g. like a book, the instant invention also provides for facilitating the cleaning of such a slicing board after use; and an arrangement thereof in combination with other utensils, as they might be of use inrconnection with a slicing board, e. g. a knife, etc.

Still further objects of this invention will be readily recognized from a detailed description thereof, which shall now be given,-by way of illustration rather than limitation,-in connection with one or two exemplary executions; in the accompanying drawing:

Fig. l shows a plan view of a slicing board of this invention, when it is open and ready for use.

Fig. 2 shows a substalntially central crosssection of the said open board, identified in Fig. l 50 by dot-dash lines and numerals 2.

Fig. 3 is a detail view illustrating in a crosssection a preferred hinge arrangement in an open position.

Fig. 4 shows, by way of comparison, the same part in a closed position.

15, 1937', serial No. 163,925'

(Cl. l 146-215) rFig. 5 shows the top view of a corner of a modified` board of this invention.

Fig. 6 shows a corresponding sectioned front view which is allocated in Fig. 5 by dot-dash lines and numeral' 6'.

Similar. numerals refer to similar parts throughout the various views:

v In a preferred execution of the instant inventiona slicing board may be divided' into sections, which are folded upon each other. For such purpose they maybe hingedly connected; but attention is paid in particular, that the hingin'g means do not interfere with the continuity of the folded open plurality of the slicing board sections, as it would for instance be the case in connection with 'the ordinary hinge. In the following this shall be illustrated, e. g. sections making up the slicing board beingmounted upon a exible means interconnecting said sections, or the sectionsmay be interconnected by hinge means interposed betweenv their tops. and bottoms.

in use, so that they preferably rest in flat abutment upon each other and are thus protected.

The instant invention may comprise three or more sections of board; the devices of the drawing show only two such sections I I and I2, whichl are arranged alongside to each other in order to make up a complete slicing board.

Ihe sections may be made out of wood, and preferably out of ply wood, so that they lcan be executed thin, yet strong. At the same time the sections may also be made out of substitutes, such as condensation products which are hard enough to stand the wear and tear, to which a slicing board is ordinarily subjected.

The two sections II and I2 may be mounted alongside of each other, e. g. glued upon a suitable backing I3, which as a whole, or along the line where the two sections II and I2 fold upon each other, may be made out of flexible material. The backing of the sections II and I2 of Figs. 1 and 2 is shown to be folded up like a book cover, e. g. from a sheet of textile or paper, the folded-over marginal portions I 6, which reinforce the backing I 4 and I5 providing folded edges I3 on all sides. The

folded-over marginal portions I4 and I5 may all be gathered underneath the sections II and I2 of the slicing board, as shown. The folds of the backing material extending over the sides of the slicing board may be open at one or both ends, in order to receive eating utensils for storage, or the folded edges may be folded back on themselves again, as shown to the right of Fig. 1, where the folded-over material I'I forms a sheath I8, which is open at one end, and may be suitably tacked down, e. g. by a rivet I9 at the other end. Into such a sheath I8, for instance, be inserted a knife 2B.

A smooth strip of materia-1 2| may underlie the center line of the implement, Where the sections II and i2 come together, so that crumbs or particles falling through between the two boards may be readily wiped oif. Thus Figs. 5 and 6 also show a piece of wax-cloth 22 to be inserted into adjacent sides of the sections I I and I2; it prevents that any material fallV through between the two sections, and serves at the same time as a hinge.

The underlying strip 2I of Figs. 1 and 2 may also be executed in a springy material, such as resilient flat trough of bronze, which tensions the two boards together, so that they form an uninterrupted continuity and do not permit anything to fall through therebetween. If so preferred, the two sections I I and I2 may be grooved at the bottom, slanted grooves 23 and 24 being for instance shown in Figs. 3 and 4 and the marginal edges of the elastic strip 2| may be bent to engage upon the inside of saidV grooves, so that the said strip forces the sections II and I2 together in a plane, when the slicing board is open, or forces the said sections into abutment with each other, when the two sections II and I2 are folded onto each other, as shown in Fig. 4.

For cleaning purposes it may be desirable to render the 'sections of the slicing board readily detachable from the backing I3. Thus the slicing board may be slid into suitable grooves or retaining means arising fromor forming in the backing I 3, and/or detachable tacking means may be provided for. But under all circumstances the central portion of the assembled board sections should be kept clear. This is illustrated in the modification of Figs. 5 and 6, which provides corners upon the backing I3, in form of loops 25, underneath which the sections II and I2 of the board may be inserted. Snap fasteners 26 may be used at the same time, in order to attach the board sections to the backing I3, at

Vor near the line Where they fold upon each other. J

'The art teaches various other Ways, in which the folded-together portions of board may be retained in a position of disuse, in which the sections abut upon each other. Figs. 1 and 2 show a snap-fastener 28 for such purpose. Figs. 5 and 6 indicate, for instance, a strap 21 which, in the manner known to those acquainted with this art, may be tacked onto the back on the other half of the folded slicing board, when it is folded up.

Having thus describedmy invention by way of several modifications, yet I do not wish to be lirnitedV thereby, except as the state of the art and the appended claim may require, for it is obvious that various modifications and changes may be made in the form of embodiment of my invention, without departing from the spirit and scope thereof.

W'hat I claim is:

A slicing board made of a pair of folding board sections, said sections being secured together at one end such that in unfolded relation the sections are in end abutting relation with their top faces in a common plane and in folded relation the sections have their faces in abutting relation, said securing means comprising a trough-shaped spring element extending longitudinally beneath the abutting ends and having its sides hingedly secured to the bottom face of the respective sections and clampingly securing the two sections A together under tension, both in unfolded and folded positions.

JESSIE M. WILSON.

Cil 

